October 2, 2012 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
World number four-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain has targeted late December as his comeback date from a knee injury at the 2012 Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. Nadal hasn’t played since losing in the second round of Wimbledon in June, and missed representing his nation at the 2012 London Games and the 2012 U.S. Open in the process. Nadal is set to join a field including Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and David Ferrer.
Nadal last played in June when he fell at the hands of unseeded Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon, 7-6, 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6. On June 11, Nadal won his seventh French Open title, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, and in the process, became the most-crowned man in Open Era history at the French Open.
If things go well in Abu Dhabi, Nadal will likely be ready for the first Grand Slam of 2013, the Australian Open set to begin Jan. 14 at Melbourne Park.
